A U.S. federal judge on Tuesday (August 25, 2026) rejected a bid by Ghislaine Maxwell, a key accomplice of notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, to throw out her conviction on sex trafficking charges.

Maxwell, 64, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison and is the only person convicted of a crime in connection with Epstein, who died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting his own trial.

In his ruling, Judge Paul Engelmayer said that Maxwell’s claims that her constitutional rights at trial and sentencing were violated “are all meritless and all or almost all are frivolous.”

Maxwell was convicted in 2021 of supplying underage girls to Epstein, whose ties to powerful business executives, politicians, celebrities and academics have fueled years of scrutiny and conspiracy theories.

Under a new law passed last year, President Donald Trump’s administration has released vast troves of investigative files relating to Epstein — drawing huge public attention to the case.

High-profile figures including Britain’s former prince Andrew have been publicly disgraced for their associations with Epstein.

In February, Maxwell was subpoenaed by the House Oversight Committee to discuss her relations with Epstein but refused to answer any questions. Her lawyer stated she would only speak if Mr. Trump granted her clemency.

The U.S. Supreme Court last October declined to hear an appeal by Maxwell of her sex trafficking conviction.

Mr. Trump, who also had a years-long relationship with Epstein, initially opposed releasing the so-called Epstein files, prompting accusations of a cover-up that dogged his first year back in office.

The Republican has denied any link to Epstein’s crimes.

The House Oversight Committee voted on Wednesday (March 4, 2026) to subpoena Attorney General Pam Bondi to answer questions over the Justice Department’s handling of files related to the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking investigation.

Five Republicans joined Democrats to support the subpoena proposed by GOP Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina in a sign of continued frustration with the department’s review and release of a tranche of documents regarding the disgraced financier.

The Justice Department had no immediate comment on the subpoena.

Former President Bill Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, recently sat with lawmakers on the committee for their own depositions over the former Democratic President’s connections to Epstein from more than two decades ago.

A federal judge in New York who presided over the sex trafficking case against the late financier Jeffrey Epstein has rejected the government’s request to unseal grand jury transcripts.

The ruling on Wednesday (August 20, 2025) by federal Judge Richard Berman in Manhattan came after the judge presiding over the case against British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell also turned down the government’s request.

Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence after her conviction on sex trafficking charges for helping Epstein sexually abuse girls and young women.

Epstein died in jail awaiting trial. A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment.